Diorama: Difference between revisions

The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle modeling, miniature figure modeling or aircraft modeling.

The current, popular understanding of the term “diorama” denotes a partially three-dimensional, full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes or cityscapes, for purposes of education or entertainment.

Miniature dioramas are typically much smaller, and use scale models and landscaping to create historical or fictional scenes. Such a scale-model based diorama is used, for example, in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry to display railroading. This diorama employs a common model railroading scale of 1:87 (HO scale). Hobbyist dioramas often use popular scales such as 1/35 or 1/48.

Shepard Paine, a prominent hobbyist, popularized the modern miniature diorama beginning in the 1970s.

Modern museum dioramas may be seen in most major natural history museums. Typically, these displays use a tilted plane to represent what would otherwise be a level surface, a painted background of distant objects, and often employ false perspective, carefully modifying the scale of objects placed on the plane to reinforce the illusion through depth perception of viewing a larger space—representations of objects (of identical real-world size) placed further from the observer are smaller than those closer. Often the distant painted background or sky will be painted upon a continuous curved surface so that the viewer is not distracted by corners, seams, or edges. All of these techniques are means of presenting a realistic view of a large scene in a compact space. A photograph or single-eye view of such a diorama can be especially convincing since in this case there is no distraction by the binocular perception of depth.

Carl Akeley, a naturalist, sculptor, and taxidemist, is credited with creating the first ever habitat diorama in 1889. Akeley's diorama featured taxidermied beavers in a three-dimensional habitat with a realistic, painted background. With the support of curator Frank M. Chapman, Akeley designed the popular habitat dioramas featured at the American Museum of Natural History. Combining art with science, these exhibitions were intended to educate the public about the growing need for habitat conservation.^[1]

Miniature dioramas may be used to represent scenes from historic events. A typical example of this type are the dioramas to be seen at Norway's Resistance Museum in Oslo, Norway.

Landscapes built around model railways, although they often have to compromise scale accuracy for better operating characteristics, can also be considered dioramas.

Hobbyists also build dioramas of historical or quasi-historical events using a variety of materials, including plastic models of military vehicles, ships or other equipment, along with scale figures and landscaping.

In the 19th and beginning 20th century, building dioramas of sailing ships had been a popular handcraft of seamen. Building a diorama instead of a normal model had the advantage, that the model was protected inside the frame and it could easily be stowed below the bunk or behind the sea chest. Nowadays, such antique sailing ship dioramas are valuable collectors items.

One of the largest Dioramas ever created^{[citation needed]} was a model of the entire state of California built for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and that for a long time was installed in San Francisco's Ferry Building.

The Diorama was a popular entertainment that originated in Paris in 1822. An alternative to the also popular "Panorama" (panoramic painting), the Diorama was a theatrical experience viewed by an audience in a highly specialized theatre. As many as 350 patrons would file in to view a landscape painting that would change its appearance both subtly and dramatically. Most would stand, though limited seating was provided. The show lasted 10 to 15 minutes, after which time the entire audience (on a massive turntable) would rotate to view a second painting. Later models of the Diorama theater even held a third painting.

The size of the proscenium was 24 feet (7.3 m) wide by 21 feet (6.4 m) high (7.3 meters x 6.4 meters). Each scene was hand-painted on linen, which was made transparent in selected areas. A series of these multi-layered, linen panels were arranged in a deep, truncated tunnel, then illuminated by sunlight re-directed via skylights, screens, shutters, and colored blinds. Depending on the direction and intensity of the skillfully manipulated light, the scene would appear to change. The effect was so subtle and finely rendered that both critics and the public were astounded, believing they were looking at a natural scene.

The inventor and proprietor of the Diorama was Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851), formerly a decorator, manufacturer of mirrors, painter of Panoramas, and masterly designer and painter of theatrical stage illusions. Daguerre would later co-invent the daguerreotype, the first widely used method of photography.

Daguerre opened a second Diorama in Regent's Park in London in 1823, a year after the debut of his Paris original. The show was a popular sensation, and spawned immediate imitations. English artists like Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts produced ever-more elaborate dioramas through the 1830s; sound effects and even living performers were added. Some "typical diorama effects included moonlit nights, winter snow turning into a summer meadow, rainbows after a storm, illuminated fountains," waterfalls, thunder and lightning, and ringing bells.^[2] A diorama painted by Daguerre is currently housed in the church of the French town Bry-sur-Marne, where he lived and died.^[3][4]

Until 1968 Britain boasted a large collection of dioramas, these collections were originally housed in the Royal United Services Institute Museum, (formerly the Banqueting House), in Whitehall. However, when the museum closed the various exhibits, and their 15 known dioramas, were distributed to smaller museums throughout England, some ending up in Canada, and elsewhere. These dioramas were the brainchild of the wealthy furrier Otto Gottstein of Leipzig, a Jewish immigrant from Hitler’s Germany, who was an avid collector and designer of flat model figures called flats. In 1930, Gottstein’s influence is first seen at the Leipzig International Exhibition, along with the diaramas of Hahnemann of Kiel, Biebel of Berlin and Muller of Erfurt, all displaying their own figures, and those commissioned from such as Ludwig Frank in large diorama form. In 1933 Gottstein left Germany, and in 1935 founded the British Model Soldier Society. Gottstein persuaded designer and painter friends in both Germany and France to help in the construction of dioramas depicting notable events in English history. But due to the war, many of the figures arrived in England incomplete. The task of turning Gottstein’s ideas into reality fell to his English friends and those friends who had managed to escape from the Continent. Dennis (Denny) C. Stokes, a talented painter and diorama maker in his own right, was responsible for the painting of the backgrounds of all the dioramas, creating a unity seen throughout the whole series. Denny Stokes was given the overall supervision of the fifteen dioramas.

• 1. The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 B.C.
• 2. The Battle of Hastings.
• 3. The Storming of Acre. (figures by Muller.)
• 4. The Battle of Crecy. (figures by Muller.)
• 5. The Field of the Cloth of Gold.
• 6. The Queen Elizabeth reviewing her troops at Tilbury.
• 7. The Battle of Marston Moor.
• 8. The Battle of Blenheim. (painted by Douchkine.)
• 9. The Battle of Plessey.
• 10. The Battle of Quebec. (engraved by Krunert of Vienna.)
• 11. The Old Guard at Waterloo.
• 12. The Charge of the Light Brigade.
• 13. The Battle of Ulundi. (figures by Ochel and Petrocochino.)
• 14. The Battle of Fleurs.
• 15. The D-Day Landings.

Krunert, Schirmer, Frank, Frauendorf, Maier, Franz Rieche and Oesterrich were also involved in the manufacture and design of figures for the various dioramas. Krunert (a Viennese), like Gottstein an exile in London, was given the job of engraving for ‘The Battle of Quebec’. Unfortunately, the ‘death of Wolfe’ was found to be inaccurate and had to be re-designed. The names of the vast majority of painters employed by Gottstein are mostly unknown, most lived and worked on the Continent, among them Gustave Kenmow, Leopold Rieche, L.Dunekate, M.Alexandre, A.Ochel, Honey Ray and, perhaps Gottstein’s top painter, Vladimir Douchkine (a Russian émigré who lived in Paris). Douchkine was responsible for painting two figures of Marlborough on horseback for ‘The Blenheim Diorama’, one of which was used, the other, Gottstein being the true collector, was never released.

Denny Stokes painted all the backgrounds of all the dioramas, Herbert Norris, the Historical Costume Designer, whom Dr. J.F. Lovel-Barnes introduced to Gottstein, was responsible for the costume design of the Ancient Britons, the Normans and Saxons, some of the figures of ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’ and the Elizabethan figures for ‘Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury’. Dr. J.F. Lovel-Barnes was himself responsible for the ‘Battle of Blenheim’ diorama, selecting the figures, and arrangement of the scene. Due to World War II, when flat figures became unavailable, Gottstein completed his ideas by using Greenwood and Ball’s 20mm figures. In time a fifteenth diorama was added, using these 20mm figures, this diorama representing the ‘D-Day landings’. When all the dioramas were completed, they were displayed along one wall in the Royal United Services Institute Museum. When the Museum was closed the fifteen dioramas were distributed to various museums and institutions. The greatest number are to be found at the Glenbow Museum, (130-9th Avenue, S. E. Calgary, Alberta, Canada): RE: 'The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 BC', 'The Battle Of Crecy', 'The Battle of Blenheim', 'The Old Guard at Waterloo', 'The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava'.

The state of these dioramas is one of debate; John Garratt (The World of Model Soldiers) claimed in 1968, that the dioramas “appear to have been partially broken up and individual figures have been sold to collectors”. According to the Glenbow Institute (Barry Agnew, Curator) “the figures are still in reasonable condition, but the plaster groundwork has suffered considerable deterioration”. Unfortunately, there are no photographs available of the dioramas. ‘The Battle of Hastings’ diorama was to be found in the Old Town Museum, Hastings, and is still in reasonable condition. It shows the Norman cavalry charging up Senlac Hill towards the Saxon lines. ‘The Storming of Acre’ is in the Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda, Woolwich. John Garratt, in the "Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers", states that ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’ was in the possession of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall; however, according to the Curator, the diorama had not been in his possession since 1980, nor is it listed in their Accession Book, so the whereabouts of this diorama is unknown. ^[5]

Painters of the Romantic era like John Martin and Francis Danby were influenced to create large and highly dramatic pictures by the sensational dioramas and panoramas of their day. In one case, the connection between life and diorama art became intensely circular. On 1 February 1829, John Martin's brother Jonathan, known as "Mad Martin," set fire to the roof of York Minster. Clarkson Stanfield created a diorama re-enactment of the event, which premiered on 20 April of the same year; it employed a "safe fire" via chemical reaction as a special effect. On 27 May, the "safe" fire proved to be less safe than planned: it set a real fire in the painted cloths of the imitation fire, which burned down the theater and all of its dioramas.^[6]

Nonetheless, dioramas remained popular in England, Scotland, and Ireland through most of the nineteenth century, lasting until 1880.

A small scale version of the diorama called the Polyrama Panoptique could display images in the home. and was marketed from the 1820s.^[7]

• Model military vehicle
• Model figure
• Nativity scene
• Cosmorama
• Cyclorama
• Moving panorama
• Myriorama
• Panorama
• Panoramic painting
• Planetarium
• Armor Modeling and Preservation Society
• Model railroading

,

• Helmut and Alison Gernsheim, L.J.M. Daguerre, The History of The Diorama and the Daguerreotype, Dover Publications, 1968.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dioramas.

• R. D. Wood's Essays on the early history of photography and the Diorama
• The world's largest collection of antique sailing ship dioramas
• World War II Dioramas in 1:35 scale
• A tutorial on how to make a miniature diorama